Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #275: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From Goodreads:

A light-hearted book about books and the people who write them for all lovers of literature.

Do you know: 
Which famous author died of caffeine poisoning? Why Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was banned in China? Who was the first British writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? What superstitions Truman Capote kept whenever he wrote? Who the other Winston Churchill was? 

A treasure trove of compelling facts, riveting anecdotes, and extraordinary characters, For the Love of Books is a book about books—and the inside stories about the people who write them. Learn how books evolved, what lies behind some of the greatest tales ever told, and who’s really who in the world of fiction. 

From banned books to famous feuding authors, from literary felons to rejected masterpieces, from tips for aspiring writers to stand-out book lists for readers to catch up on, For the Love of Books is a celebration of the written word and an absolute page-turner for any book lover. Read all about it!

For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant is expected to be published June 18th, 2019 from Skyhorse.

Why am I waiting on this one? I love all things books. This sounds like an interesting collection of facts and anecdotes. It sounds like a light, fun read.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Cylia leaned against the wall, dressed in a fluffy yellow bathrobe that made her resemble nothing so much as a malevolent daffodil come to pass judgment on the weak. She still looked friendlier and more understanding than Sam, who was in human form, wearing only his jeans, and glaring at James like he was trying to decide how to dispose of the body. (16% through on my Kindle)

That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire is expected to be published today, March 5th, 2019 by DAW Books. It's the 8th Incryptid novel.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #274: Westside by W.M. Akers

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A young detective who specializes in “tiny mysteries” finds herself at the center of a massive conspiracy in this beguiling historical fantasy set on Manhattan’s Westside—a peculiar and dangerous neighborhood home to strange magic and stranger residents—that blends the vivid atmosphere of Caleb Carr with the imaginative power of Neil Gaiman.

New York is dying, and the one woman who can save it has smaller things on her mind.

It’s 1921, and a thirteen-mile fence running the length of Broadway splits the island of Manhattan, separating the prosperous Eastside from the Westside—an overgrown wasteland whose hostility to modern technology gives it the flavor of old New York. Thousands have disappeared here, and the respectable have fled, leaving behind the killers, thieves, poets, painters, drunks, and those too poor or desperate to leave.

It is a hellish landscape, and Gilda Carr proudly calls it home.

Slightly built, but with a will of iron, Gilda follows in the footsteps of her late father, a police detective turned private eye. Unlike that larger-than-life man, Gilda solves tiny mysteries: the impossible puzzles that keep us awake at night; the small riddles that destroy us; the questions that spoil marriages, ruin friendships, and curdle joy. Those tiny cases distract her from her grief, and the one impossible question she knows she can’t answer: “How did my father die?”

Yet on Gilda’s Westside, tiny mysteries end in blood—even the case of a missing white leather glove. Mrs. Copeland, a well-to-do Eastside housewife, hires Gilda to find it before her irascible merchant husband learns it is gone. When Gilda witnesses Mr. Copeland’s murder at a Westside pier, she finds herself sinking into a mire of bootlegging, smuggling, corruption—and an evil too dark to face.

All she wants is to find one dainty ladies’ glove. She doesn’t want to know why this merchant was on the wrong side of town—or why he was murdered in cold blood. But as she begins to see the connection between his murder, her father’s death, and the darkness plaguing the Westside, she faces the hard truth: she must save her city or die with it.

Introducing a truly remarkable female detective, Westside is a mystery steeped in the supernatural and shot through with gunfights, rotgut whiskey, and sizzling Dixieland jazz. Full of dazzling color, delightful twists, and truly thrilling action, it announces the arrival of a remarkable talent.

Westside by W.M. Akers is due to be released May 7th, 2019 from Harper Voyager.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've enjoyed other books set in the same time period. I'm interested in finding out more about this version of New York and the mysteries it contains. I'm wondering how like Neil Gaiman's writing is the weirdness mentioned in the synopsis. I like the idea of the mystery combined with the fantasy elements. It sounds like an urban fantasy set in early 20th century New York.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

February 26th, 2019 by Ace

I had nothing helpful to say to that. Sifting through my limited, recently acquired, socially appropriate lines of comfort, I said simply, "Families can suck all the red offa life's lollipop."

Tandy burst out laughing, his muscles unclenching. 

(Nell talking to Tandy at 21% on my Kindle)

Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter is the fourth book in the Soulwood series. It's expected publication is February 26th, 2019 from Ace.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #273: The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the author of A Secret History of Witches comes an absorbing tale of love, sacrifice, family ties, and magic, set in the Pacific Northwest in the aftermath of World War II -- perfect for fans of Practical Magic, The Witch's Daughter, and A Discovery of Witches.

Barrie Anne Blythe and her aunt Charlotte have always known that the other residents of their small coastal community find them peculiar -- two women living alone on the outskirts of town. It is the price of concealing their strange and dangerous family secret.

But two events threaten to upend their lives forever. The first is the arrival of a mysterious abandoned baby with a hint of power like their own. The second is the sudden reappearance of Barrie Anne's long-lost husband -- who is not quite the man she thought she married.

Together, Barrie Anne and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves -- and the child they think of as their own -- from suspicious neighbors, the government, and even their own family...

The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan is due out Match 19th, 2019 from Redhook.

Why am I waiting on this one? I haven't read anything by this author yet, but I am liking the comparisons to other books in the same genre, especially Practical Magic. It sounds like it will have some magical realism or fantasy elements to it; I enjoy both. Two witchy type women and a baby, throw in a found husband and people curious about them all - it sounds like an interesting book to me.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mia's brows rose. "You have dibs?"

"No. You get interested in a man and he doesn't see anyone but you. I need him watching my back. When this is over and no one's trying to kill me, you can do what you want."

"If I were you, I'd call dibs."

(Poppy and Mia discussing Thor - I mean Mark. 57% through on my Kindle)

Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern was released September 25th, 2018 from J & M Press. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern

Published September 25th, 2018
by J & M Press

Poppy Fields is popular with the paparazzi and social media even though she would rather not be. Some of her popularity stems from surviving an abduction. Some of it comes from her famous movie star mother.

What few people know is that while she is so popular, she is also working as a spy of sorts. Asked to cozy up to a banker to see if she can get information on the accounts of the man who abducted her in book one of the series, she does her best within limits. She has morals.

Things do get rather hairy when she ends up dodging assassins in Paris. Poppy finds herself assigned a bodyguard who isn't hard on the eyes at all. In fact, he resembles a Norse god. Poppy has to try and get the requested information without being detected or assassinated while trying to foil a possible terror attack on Paris.

This could be classified as a cozy action novel only because Poppy is an amateur at what she is doing. Otherwise, there is loads of action. And who is shooting at her and why is a mystery for most of the book.

Poppy continues to surprise with her actions and choices. Many people in the same situation would cower in their hotel rooms rather than go out and try and get things done. Thank goodness she has Thor - I mean Mark. And of course, she has Consuela for comfort. And who is that masked man riding to her rescue on his motorized steed? Inquiring minds want to know and hope there will be more about him in book three - Fields' Guide to Voodoo. The third book in the series of Poppy Fields' adventures is due out February 28th, 2019 from J&M Press.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was well-written and loaded with action. I liked that while there are two possible love interests, the relationship angle takes a backseat to other actions and mysteries. It was interesting too as to the background it gives you on Paris. If you enjoyed book one in the series, Fields' Guide to Abductions, then you will enjoy this novel as well. While it is probably possible to read it as a standalone, I would recommend reading book one first for the background and to see how Poppy is developing. I find that I am quite looking forward to reading book three.

At this time, February 18th, 2019, book one is still available in the Kindle Edition for free.